Steviol glycoside

ABSTRACT

Nobel  Stevia  Sweetening components are provided. Through the analysis of the components of the nobel Steviol Glycoside included in the  Stevia  extract and/or crystals, not only the quality control of sweeteners, but judgment on the correctness of indication of origin or infringement of right are facilitated since the raw material of the sweetener can be identified.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a novel Steviol Glycoside, a sweetenercontaining Rebaudioside A and the novel Steviol Glycoside, which isincluded in the variety Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni containing a highcontent of Rebaudioside A, a method of manufacturing food,pharmaceuticals, non-pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, confirmation ofStevia varieties and analytical method of the novel Steviol Glycoside.

BACKGROUND ART

Stevia is a perennial plant of the Asteraceae family grown in Paraguay,South America. Its scientific name is Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Steviacontains components, whose sweetness is 300 times or more than that ofsucrose and is planted to be used as a natural sweetener afterextracting the sweet components.

Stevioside (C₃₈H₆₀O₁₈), Rebaudioside A (C₄₄H₇₀O₂₃). Rebaudioside C, Dand E, Dulcoside A etc. have been known as sweet components of Stevia.In the generally planted Stevia variety, Stevioside (hereinafter ST) isthe major component among the aforementioned sweet components, with acontained amount of Rebaudioside A (hereinafter RA) of around 40 weight% content and that of Rebaudioside C being slightly less. But dependingon the variety there are various types such as those with Rebaudioside Cbeing the major component.

Because ST has a degree of sweetness of 300 times that of sucrose, ithas been widely used in the food industry as a natural sweetener. Itssweetness is relatively similar to that of sugar, but it is known thatcompared to RA an unpleasant taste of bitterness remains in the mouth.Compared to this, RA has good quality of sweetness, with a degree ofsweetness from 1.3 to 1.5 time that of ST, so in general a sweetener ofStevia with a high RA content ratio is desirable rather than ST. Theinventors of the present invention carried out plant breeding throughthe repetition of selective cross fertilizations of conventionalvarieties, thereby obtaining only Stevia varieties with very few amountsof ST compared to RA, developing sweeteners from these varieties (seePatent Literature 1 for example).

However, among the tastes such as bitterness, astringency and smoothnessto the tongue, the smooth taste is quite delicate. This delicatesmoothness does not rely upon the ratio between ST and RA alone. Whenglucose is added to the chemical structure of the various sweetcomponents contained in Stevia, the smooth taste is improved and amethod has been developed to improve the smooth and strong tastes bystructurally adding glucose to the sweet components of Stevia (PatentLiterature 2 and 3).

Thus, even if the content amount is small, it is very important toanalyze the unknown components contained in Stevia, in particular tograsp the components in which glucose is structurally added rather thanST, and it is extremely important to execute a careful examination ofthe glucose structurally added to them from a perspective oftaste-quality control.

Simultaneously, as the taste quality is influenced by the sweetcomponents included in the raw material plants themselves, it isimportant to grasp thoroughly the sweet components in order to developexcellent Stevia varieties and use them. From now on, raw material plantimprovement of breed will probably become very popular, but it will bepossible to grasp in details the results of the breed improvement byspecifying diligently the sweet components contained in the plantsdeveloped.

On the other hand, the inventors of the present invention developed amethod for establishing a variety for plant varieties newly developed byusing genes (Patent Literature 4 and 5), but actually there were nomeans of specifying the raw material plants regarding the sweetenerextracted and processed from these raw material plants and the productswhich make use of them.

[Patent Literature 1] Laid Open Patent Publication JP2002-262822 Gazette

[Patent Literature 2] Patent Publication JP1957-18779 Gazette

[Patent Literature 3] Laid Open Patent Publication JP1997-107913 Gazette

[Patent Literature 4] Laid Open Patent Publication JP2003-009878,Gazette

[Patent Literature 5] International Patent Publication of PatentCooperation Treaty-PCT WO06/093229 Gazette DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Problems to be Solved

Five components of the Stevia sweetener (ST, RA, Rebaudioside A,Dulcoside A and Steviol Bioside) have been analyzed and standardized,but there was no knowledge on the other unknown components. In addition,there was no way to confirm their presence even for the sweet componentsalready known, since there was no established analytical method.However, recently the JECFA standard has been set for 7 components ofSteviol Glycoside, the sweeteners contained in Stevia have beenconfirmed and the unknown components clarified, along with the awarenesson the importance to know the influence of the delicate taste from thesecomponents.

The purpose of the present invention is to define the structure of thesmall quantity sweeteners contained in the Stevia variety and to confirmtheir influence on the taste for Stevia sweetener.

Also the other purpose is to provide the measures for specifying theStevia plant, which became a raw material, regarding Stevia sweetenerand the products which use it.

The inventors of the present invention have searched new SteviolGlycosides contained in the Stevia variety, main component of which isRA, and discovered 10 components of the novel Steviol Glycosides whichmay have a subtle influence on taste quality. After then they completedthe present invention by discovering that there was a difference incontent volume of these components among varieties, and certaincomponents were present only in the specified Stevia varieties which hadRA as their main component followed by confirmation that it was possibleto use this as a marker of sweetener originated in such plants.

Effects of the Invention

Steviol Glycosides of the present invention have structures in whichmore glucoses are added than ST or RA and therefore provide a Steviasweetener having an excellent strong taste.

Besides, it is possible to suppose the origin of the raw material byconfirming Steviol Glycoside X in the extract or the crystals, andanalysis of the final product enables to judge if the raw material plantis opposed to rights such as patent and others.

(The Best Mode for Embodying the Invention)

The Stevia variety with RA as main component mentioned in the presentinvention is a variety which contains more RA content than ST, anddescribed in the applications for patent JP2001-200944 andJP2007-506004; the extract obtained from dry leaves has more RA contentthan ST and also contains Rebaudioside D (R-D), Steviol Glycoside III,V, VI, VII and X, making it possible to obtain an excellent sweetener ofstrong taste by containing the component in which more glucoses arestructurally added than ST and/or RA.

In addition, it is possible to efficiently obtain highly pure RAsweetener containing a trace amount of ST and Steviol Glycoside X byrecrystalization.

The first embodiment of the present invention is Steviol Glycoside ofthe formula I to X:

wherein R₁ and R₂ are a hydrogen atom or a sugar chain defined in thenext table;

No. (Steviol Glyci- side) R₁ R₂ I (Dulco- side B)

H II β-glc-β-glc(3→1) β-glc (Reb- audio- side G) III (Reb- audio- sideI)

β-glc-β-glc-(3→1) IV (Reb- audio- side H)

β-glc V (Reb- audio- side L)

β-glc VI (Reb- audio- side K)

β-glc-β-glc(2→1) VII (Reb- audio- side J)

β-glc-α-rha(2→1) VIII (Reb- audio- side M)

IX (Reb- audio- side N)

X (Reb- audio- side O)

The symbols in the formula are the sugar below:

glc: D-glucopyranosyl

rha: L-rhamnopyranosyl

xyl: xylopyranosyl

The second embodiment of the present invention is an extract containingSteviol Glycoside X (Rebaudioside O), obtained by extracting a plantbody of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, a plant of the Asteraceae family, orits dry leaves, a main component of which is Rebaudioside A, by water ora solvent containing water.

The third embodiment of the present invention is a method of obtaininghighly pure Rebaudioside A containing Steviol Glycoside X (RebaudiosideO) through the recrystalization of the extract of the aforementionedembodiment.

The fourth embodiment of the present invention is a manufacturing methodfor foodstuff, in which the extract of the second embodiment above isadded to food in an amount of equal to or less than 1% of the food.

The fifth embodiment of the present invention is a manufacturing methodfor foodstuff, in which the highly pure Rebaudioside A obtained in thethird embodiment above is added to food in an amount of equal to or lessthan 1% of the food.

In the extract obtained from the raw material variety, whose maincomponent is ST, there is no Steviol Glycoside X, but as the extractobtained from raw material varieties, whose main component is RA, hasGlycoside X, it is possible to judge the raw material variety by whetherthe main component is ST or RA. That is, as there is no Glycoside X inthe extract containing RA as a main component, which is obtained byeliminating ST by crystallization through the extract obtained fromvarieties whose main component is ST, or in the high purity productsobtained from their recrystalization, it is possible to confirm the rawmaterial varieties. The sixth embodiment of the present invention is themethod for confirming Stevia varieties by Steviol Glycoside X.

The seventh embodiment of the present invention is an analytical methodof the Steviol Glycosides I-X through high performance liquidchromatography (hereinafter HPLC).

In order to accomplish these objectives, the inventors of the presentinvention extensively studied the sweet components included in thevarieties whose main component is RA and the varieties of applicationsJP2001-200944 and JP2007-506004, found new sweet components anddetermined their chemical structure. In addition, they confirmed theusefulness of these components as sweeteners and completed theanalytical method and confirmation method of varieties through thesevarieties.

The confirmation of the new components was executed through extractionby water or solvent containing water of the varieties whose maincomponents was RA as in the Example 1 (hereinafter called Variety A) andthe dry leaves of applications JP2001-200944 (hereinafter called VarietyB) and 2007-506004 (hereinafter called Variety C).

After that, the extract solution is directly concentrated, or ifnecessary, ionic impurities are removed with an ionic exchange resin ora cationic exchange resin, or activated carbon, the sweeteningcomponents are allowed to be absorbed into an absorption resin, followedby the elution with a hydrophilic solvent, and if necessary the elute isconcentrated and dried and the eluant retreated with an ionic exchangeresin or a cationic exchange resin, or activated carbon, and the extractthus obtained or the extract obtained through an appropriatepurification means of conventional art such as discoloring can beconfirmed.

The novel Steviol Glycosides of the extract RA-C obtained from theExample 1(1) described hereinafter were separated and analyzed by adevice of High performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS) according to Example 5 and each Glycoside structure I-X:

wherein R¹ and R² are respectively a hydrogen atom and theaforementioned sugar chain, was determined.

Steviol Glycoside I (Dulcoside B) is a glycoside with a structure of 788molecular weight, as confirmed by about minutes of chromatographRetention Time (hereinafter R.T.) of the HPLC in FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside II (Rebaudioside G) is a glycoside with a structure of804 molecular weight, as confirmed by about 15 minutes of R.T. of HPLCin FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside III (Rebaudioside I) is a glycoside with a structureof 1112 molecular weight, as confirmed by about 28 minutes of R.T. ofHPLC in FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside IV (Rebaudioside H) is a glycoside with a structure of1128 molecular weight, as confirmed by about 29 minutes of R.T. of HPLCin FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside V (Rebaudioside L) is a glycoside with a structure of1112 molecular weight, as confirmed by about 34 minutes of R.T. of HPLCin FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside VI (Rebaudioside K) is a glycoside with a structure of1112 molecular weight, as confirmed by about 34 minutes of R.T. of HPLCin FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside VII (Rebaudioside J) is a glycoside with a structureof 1128 molecular weight, as confirmed by about 34 minutes of R.T. ofHPLC in FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside VIII (Rebaudioside M) is a glycoside with a structureof 1290 molecular weight, as confirmed by duplicating Rebaudioside D byabout 34 minutes of R.T. of HPLC in FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside IX (Rebaudioside N) is a glycoside with a structure of1274 molecular weight, as confirmed by about 43 minutes of R.T. of HPLCin FIG. 1.

Steviol Glycoside X (Rebaudioside O) is a glycoside with a structure of1436 molecular weight, as confirmed by about 51 minutes of R.T. of HPLCin FIG. 1.

However, anyone skilled in the art will understand that the R.T.mentioned above from the analysis using gradient elution is variable.

As mentioned above, it provides with important information for theidentification of the raw material variety whether Steviol Glycoside Xis present or not in the final product.

Simultaneously, since it is possible to confirm these novel SteviolGlycosides through HPLC, even in case they are used as sweeteners,quality and taste may be totally controlled with ease by HPLC analysis.

The extract or crystals obtained may be used as sweetener in candies,jellies, powder beverages, instant noodles, jams, frozen fruits, chewinggums, Japanese sweets, health foods, chocolate, tabletop sweeteners,fried sweets, delicacies, water boiled foods, fermented lactic-drink,coffee drinks, cocoa drinks, tea drinks, liqueurs, wines, sherbets,cereals, vegetable fiber-containing foods, sauces, soy sauce, soy paste,vinegars, dressings, mayonnaises, catch-up, curry, soups, rice sweets,arare, breads, biscuits, crackers, pancake mix, canning fruits, canningvegetables, meat products, products made with boiled fish paste, saltfoods, pickles, combined seasoning, luxury foods, cosmetics, etc,resulting in calorie decrease, sucrose reduction, melting pointdecrease, improvement of sweetness quality and masking effect, amongothers, also being possible to be added to other natural and artificialsweeteners and solvents.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Manufacturing of RA Extract

(1) Extract

100 g of dry leaves obtained from varieties A, B or C, whose maincomponent is RA, was extracted several times with 20 times amount ofwater by weight until the sweetness cannot be tasted. The extract waspassed through a column filled up with 300 ml of absorption resin(Diaion HP-20) and the sweet components of the extract were absorbed tothe resin, which was sufficiently washed with water, and the componentswere eluted with 900 ml of methanol. The eluate was passed through acolumn filled up with 200 ml of ion exchange resin (Diaion WA-30), 10 gof activated carbon was added to the eluate and stirred. The mixture wasfiltered, the filtrate was concentrated and the residue was dried togive 13.0 g of RA-A extract, whose main component is light yellowRebaudioside A (ST 35.4%, RA 41.7% and RC 9.8%), 11.5 g of RA-B extract(ST 19.5%, RA 58.1% and RC 8.8%) and 12 g of RA-C extract (ST 5.4%, RA72.3% and RC 8.1%) respectively.

(2) RA Recrystallization

Each 5 g of the aforementioned RA-B extract and RA-C extract wasdissolved in 10 times the weight of 90% methanol under heating, and itwas left stand at 4° C. for six days. The resulted crystals wereseparated, washed with cold methanol and dried under reduced pressure togive 3.9 g of white RA-B crystals (ST 0.2%, RA 95.0% and RC 0.2%) and4.5 g of RA-C Crystals (ST 0.2%, RA 95.6% and RC 0.1%) respectively.

Example 2 Manufacturing of ST Extract

For comparison purposes, the same procedure was carried out as to avariety, the main component of which is ST, to give 11.3 g of ST extract(ST 51.9%, RA 23.7% and RC 7.4%).

Example 3 RA-A Mother Liquid, ST Mother Liquid

Each 10 g of the aforementioned RA-A extract and ST extract wasdissolved in 10 times the weight of 90% methanol under heating, and itwas left stand at 4° C. for six days. The resulted crystals wereseparated, washed with cold 98% methanol and dried under reducedpressure to give 2.1 g of RA-ST crystals, which are white crystals ofstevioside, and 3.8 g of ST-ST crystals respectively.

Each of 8.8 g of RA-A mother liquid (ST 15.7%, RA 43.8% and RC 6.9%) and6.1 g of ST mother liquor (ST 20.0%, RA 37.1% and RC 11.2%), whose maincomponent is RA, is concentrated and dried to give a powder of motherliquid, whose main component was a pale yellow RA respectively.

Example 4 RA-A Crystal, ST-RA Crystal

Each of the mother liquid powder of Example 3 was dissolved in 10 timesthe weight of 90% methanol under heating and left stand at 4° C. for sixdays. The resulted crystals were separated, washed with cold 98%methanol and dried under reduced pressure to give 2.2 g of white RA-Acrystals (ST 1.6%, RA 90.4% and RC 1.4%) and 1.2 g of ST-RA crystals (ST1.6%, RA 96.9% and RC 1.4%) respectively.

Example 5 Structural Determination of Steviol Glycosides

As described below, analysis was performed by using HPLC. Separation ofthe Steviol Glycosides included in each extract was carried out by usingShimazu LC-10 Advp HPLC using a column of TSKgel Amide-80 (4.6×250 mmTosoh). Acetonitril-water was used as a solvent and a gradient elutionin which the ratio of acetonitril:water was changed from 82:18 to 66:34within 60 minutes was carried out. The flow rate was 0.65 ml/min, thecolumn temperature was 40° C. and the detection was performed atultraviolet absorption of 210 nm.

In the measurement of molecular weight, Waters' Alliance HPLC System2695 and Waters' Quattro micro (triple quadrupole mass) equipped withelectrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometer were used. As to HPLC, acolumn was TSKgel Amide-80 (2.0×250 mm, Tosoh), acetonitril-water wasused as a solvent and a gradient elution in which the ratio ofacetonitril:water was changed from 82:18 to 66:34 within 60 minutes wascarried out. The flow rate was 0.2 ml/min, the column temperature was40° C. Nitrogen gas was used as a desolvation gas and argon gas was usedas a collision gas. As a capillary voltage, 15.0 kV were used in theSteviol Glycoside analysis in the negative mode and in the analysis ofABEE-oligosaccharides 13.5 kV were used in the positive mode. A voltageof 10V to 80V was used as the cone voltage and the collision voltage atthe time of MS/MS analysis. The source temperature and desolvationtemperature were 100° C. and 400° C. respectively and the flow volume ofcone gas and desolvation gas were 50 l/hr and 900 l/hr respectively.

The results of HPLC Analysis regarding each extract and crystal wereillustrated in FIGS. 1-10.

The analytical results of each chromatography peak shown in FIGS. 2-10were shown in the following Table 1-9.

TABLE 1 Crystals RA-A CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 4.857 6932 4860.2192 Stev mono 2 8.817 1467 107 3 9.603 2029 124 0.0642 Rubuso 410.244 3630 214 5 11.065 12106 605 6 14.763 14947 397 0.4726 Rebau B 716.782 58617 2320 1.8535 Stev 8 18.901 35984 1440 1.1379 Rebau C 919.984 23401 820 0.7400 Rebau F 10 23.334 2971977 97370 93.9772 Rebau A11 28.648 4872 191 0.1541 Rebau E + III + IV 12 34.608 5912 174 0.1869V + VI + VII 13 35.531 28131 892 V 0.8895 Rebau D + VIII 14 37.222 5390185 15 42.731 6943 222 0.2195 IX 16 51.166 2700 88 0.0854 X TOT 3185038105635 100.0000

TABLE 2 Crystals RA-B CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 2.098 1307 246 22.309 675 139 V 3 2.833 7713 1426 4 4.775 3286 244 5 13.518 91704 39652.8021 I 6 14.834 14854 462 0.4539 Rebau B 7 16.077 1125 54 8 16.8 74788 9 17.034 9460 352 V 0.2891 Stev 10 18.601 2647 110 11 19.157 7685 314V 0.2348 Rebau C 12 20.268 20421 652 0.6240 Rebau F 13 23.663 3106124102260 94.9097 Rebau A 14 27.533 2882 95 15 29.043 5444 210 0.1663 III +Rebau E + IV 16 31.461 2828 91 0.0864 17 35.959 8128 282 0.2484 RebauD + V + VI + VII 18 37.696 6165 183 19 43.225 4259 120 0.1301 IX 2051.644 1807 53 0.0552 X TOT 3299261 111346 100.0000

TABLE 3 Crystals RA-C CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 2.335 15257 27452 3.398 2074 247 3 4.436 3292 209 4 9.657 51969 2355 1.6822 Rubuso 514.351 4502 107 0.1457 Rebau B 6 16.175 5072 189 0.1642 Stev 7 18.1922634 88 0.0853 Rebau C 8 19.366 13008 474 0.4211 Rebau F 9 22.6823002254 98794 97.1825 Rebau A 10 34.744 4564 160 0.1477 V + VI + RebauD + VII + VIII 11 36.455 3018 96 0.0977 12 41.927 1880 67 0.0609 IX 1350.485 393 17 0.0127 X TOT 3109917 105548 100.0000

TABLE 4 Extract RA-A CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 2.646 12581 1924 23.502 1786 313 3 3.715 5140 389 V 4 4.411 36010 2058 V 5 4.64 18976 2043V 6 4.904 94086 5839 V 1.3702 Stev mono 7 5.683 42933 1608 V 8 6.1089264 666 V 9 6.642 30742 778 V 10 7.192 23108 906 V 11 7.736 52867 2210V 0.7699 Stevbio 12 8.292 22402 750 V 13 8.831 44958 2378 V 14 9.615104428 4765 V 1.5208 Rubuso 15 10.262 92646 4531 V 16 10.917 33787 1420V 17 12.778 63372 2978 0.9229 Dulco A 18 13.466 12776 658 V 0.1861 I 1914.821 47594 1672 0.6931 Rebau B 20 16.812 2795705 107308 40.7133 Stev21 18.95 683621 23300 V 9.9554 Rebau C 22 20.017 130330 3792 V 1.8980Rebau F 23 22.017 4444 192 24 23.385 2759980 90911 40.1931 Rebau A 2526.082 15240 516 26 28.592 5443 144 0.0793 27 29.425 6048 234 V 0.0881III + Rebau E 28 30.066 29426 961 V 0.4285 IV 29 33.96 10732 419 0.1563V + VI + VII 30 35.559 51215 1667 0.7458 Rebau D + VIII 31 42.755 15644462 0.2278 IX 32 51.175 3535 108 0.0515 X TOT 7260819 267900 100.0000

TABLE 5 Extract RA-B CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 2.136 1244 231 22.862 8119 1484 3 4.411 37288 2536 4 4.634 25374 2584 V 5 4.889 1137177669 V 3.2793 Stev mono 6 5.766 57184 1940 V 7 6.666 16138 503 V 8 7.31934921 927 V 0.3964 Stev bio 9 7.917 13888 628 V 10 8.533 19410 741 V 118.887 44852 2585 V 12 9.35 16370 1111 V 0.4751 Rubuso 13 9.71 81099 3752V 14 10.339 81250 3739 V 15 12.183 4543 172 16 12.941 26992 1213 V0.5187 Dulco A 17 13.658 35796 1693 V 0.7239 I 18 15.012 62182 20880.8928 II 19 17.039 1579831 61299 26.2115 Stev 20 19.212 630967 21477 V9.1836 Rebau C 21 20.303 129387 3817 V 1.6322 Rebau F 22 23.721 3953586128495 S 54.9446 Rebau A 23 26.44 11802 359 T 24 29.088 9888 346 2529.817 9663 299 V 26 30.449 17347 602 V 0.2574 Rebau E + III + IV 2732.984 10425 265 28 34.415 15693 537 29 35.159 18016 574 V 0.2454 V +VI + VII 30 36.025 68454 2067 V 0.8839 Rebau D + VIII 31 37.749 4538 15732 43.275 20100 626 0.2677 IX 33 51.757 7320 205 0.0877 X TOT 7167384256711 100.0000

TABLE 6 Extract RA-C CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 2.183 616 134 22.597 10175 1537 3 3.437 1414 323 4 4.46 13740 1017 5 4.642 6308 820 V 64.906 54449 4098 V 0.8853 Stev mono 7 5.721 9947 485 V 8 6.06 3281 277 V9 8.264 25348 701 10 8.844 16133 1093 V 11 9.66 34116 1479 12 10.27534888 1821 V 0.5673 Rubuso 13 10.799 10225 529 V 14 11.829 144125 570115 12.826 9263 377 V 0.1506 Dulco A 16 14.874 129304 2644 2.1024 Rebau B17 16.871 437696 17109 V 7.1167 Stev 18 19.001 472663 16510 7.6852 RebauC 19 20.078 99978 2988 V 1.6256 Rebau F 20 23.439 4700591 156131 76.4290Rebau A 21 26.161 6575 216 22 28.759 19933 692 23 29.523 16030 496 V0.2606 Rebau E 24 30.192 4314 195 V 0.0701 III + IV 25 32.915 22341 3610.0000 26 34.044 20210 662 V 0.3286 V 27 34.784 37467 1171 V 0.6092 VI +VII 28 35.637 82080 2479 V 1.3346 Rebau D + VIII 29 42.833 32965 9770.5360 IX 30 51.265 18371 536 0.2987 X TOT 6474546 223559 100.0000

TABLE 7 Extract ST CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 2.626 7139 1183 23.325 824 127 3 3.683 3069 423 V 4 3.836 9867 1104 V 5 4.1 20804 2418 V6 4.432 158950 6323 V 7 4.898 244425 14003 V 3.2613 Stev mono 8 5.679171018 7277 V 9 6.067 36443 2486 V 10 6.567 84143 3356 V 11 6.833 594793255 V 12 7.702 364999 10439 V 4.8701 Stev bio 13 8.831 50633 2395 V 149.622 121367 5308 V 1.6194 Rubuso 15 10.283 61202 2776 V 16 10.651 826793615 V 17 12.789 172505 7512 2.3017 Dulco A 18 13.476 39377 1734 V0.5254 I 19 14.117 9126 325 V 20 14.843 56080 1517 V 0.7483 Rebau B 2115.883 18828 574 V 0.2512 II 22 16.837 4190811 160109 SV 55.9165 Stev 2318.317 837 72 T 24 18.961 471940 16634 V 6.2969 Rebau C 25 20.03 961592847 V 1.2830 Rebau F 26 22.021 11777 430 27 23.407 1635704 52768 SV21.8246 Rebau A 28 26.087 18075 573 T 29 30.114 37321 1256 0.4980 RebauE + III + IV 30 34.028 11847 362 0.1581 V + VI + VII 31 35.633 28790 851V 0.3841 Rebau D + VIII 32 42.867 4616 125 0.0616 IX TOT 8280834 314177100.0000

TABLE 8 Crystals ST-ST CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 2.64 20368 33472 3.342 792 150 3 8.16 199715 8553 4 9.579 28792 1602 0.7198 Rubuso 513.436 6892 362 0.1723 I 6 16.763 3809949 146224 S 95.2514 Stev 7 19.0171413 63 T 0.0353 Rebau C 8 21.883 3078 108 0.0770 Rebau F 9 23.323138456 4564 V 3.4615 Rebau A 10 26.007 6455 215 11 30.02 11309 3670.2827 Rebau E + III + IV TOT 4227219 165555 100.0000

TABLE 9 Crystals ST-RA CH PKNO T A H MK IDNO CONC N 1 1 2.567 11398 20392 3.19 846 174 3 11.629 43279 1893 4 14.703 13970 400 0.4290 Rebau B 515.927 1715 79 6 16.885 7321 220 0.2248 Stev 7 18.961 4537 192 0.1393Rebau C 8 20.055 9706 413 0.2981 Rebau F 9 23.428 3204919 106088 98.4203Rebau A 10 28.744 5579 170 0.1713 Rebau E + III + IV 11 33.32 4707 1210.1445 V + VI + VII 12 35.603 4198 146 0.1289 Rebau D + VIII 13 42.81422 45 0.0437 IX TOT 3313597 111980 100.0000

The abbreviations used in the tables above are as follows:

PKNO: Peak Number

T: Time (minutes)

A: Peak area

H: Peak Height

CONC: Concentration (%)

N: Glycoside's Name

TOT: Total

Stev mono: Steviol monoside

Stev bio: Steviol bioside

Rebuso: Rubososide

Rebau: Rebaudioside

Stev: Stevioside

Dulco: Dulcoside

The concentration is calculated from the total area of the ultravioletabsorption spectrum at 210 nm, and it is necessary to correct themolecular weight in order to measure the volume contained. I to X in thechromatograph chart indicate the novel Steviol Glycoside I to X.

Example 6 Evaluation of Taste Quality

0.05% aqueous solution of each extract and 0.03% aqueous solution of thecrystals were evaluated by 10 people familiar with a sensory test ofStevia, and the results of averaged evaluation are shown in Table 10below: Evaluation 5: Excellent, 4: Good, 3: Ordinary, 2: Bad, 1: Worst

TABLE 10 Subject matter of the sensory test 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) RA-AExtract 4.1 3.8 4.1 4.9 3.4 3.8 RA-A Crystal 5.0 4.9 4.9 3.2 4.9 4.9RA-B Extract 4.2 3.8 4.1 4.9 3.5 3.7 RA-B Crystal 5.0 5.0 4.9 3.5 4.94.9 RA-C Extract 4.2 4.0 4.5 4.8 3.5 3.8 RA-C Crystal 5.0 5.0 5.0 3.85.0 5.0 ST Extract 1.2 1.3 1.2 4.0 2.0 2.0 ST-RA Crystal 4.8 4.6 4.6 3.04.8 4.3 1) Sweetness Quality 2) Taste remaining in the mouth 3)Astringency 4) Delicate taste 5) Refreshing feeling 6) Sweetness runningout

The three types of RA Extract containing the Steviol Glycosides II to X(Rebaudioside G to O) are excellent in delicate taste compared to thethree types of RA Crystals, but the RA Crystals are excellent in theother evaluations. Except for the delicate taste evaluation, the STextract is inferior to the ST-RA Crystals. From this result, it isverified that the novel Steviol Glycosides II-X influence the delicatetaste.

Example 7 Determination of Variety

According to the HPLC analysis of each extract and/or crystal, theextract obtained from the varieties containing RA as a main component(hereinafter Variety RA) includes more Rebaudioside D, and also includethe Steviol Glycoside X (Rebaudioside O) compared with the extractobtained from the varieties containing ST as a main component(hereinafter Variety ST). Further it is found that the Steviol GlycosideX is also included in the RA crystals obtained by the purification ofthe extract of RA varieties, although trace amount.

On the other hand, there is no Steviol Glycoside X in the extractobtained from the ST varieties. Naturally the Steviol Glycoside X is notfound out in the ST-RA crystals obtained from the ST varieties and it istherefore possible to confirm that the extract or the crystal isobtained from the RA variety, if the presence of Steviol Glycoside X isconfirmed.

Example 8 Analytical Method of Steviol Glycoside

According to the HPLC condition described in Example 5, it is possibleto confirm each Steviol Glycoside I-X. In principle, it is possible toconfirm the presence of Steviol Glycoside from R.T. in the HPLCanalytical chart, but each Steviol Glycoside I-X can be confirmed bymeasuring the molecular weight after preparative isolation of eachGlycoside.

Example 9 Tabletop Sugar

1) Tabletop sugar was prepared by mixing 1 g of RA-A Crystals and 99 gof powder sugar.

2) Tabletop sugar was prepared by mixing 1 g of RA-B Crystals and 99 gof erythritol.

3) Tabletop sugar was prepared by mixing 1 g of RA-C Crystals and 99 gof high-fructose corn syrup.

Example 10 Candies

Candy was prepared from 0.3 g of RA-C extract, 100 g of palatinit and anappropriate volume of spices.

Example 11 Milk Jelly

Milk jelly was prepared form 15 g of sugar, 0.08 g of RA-B extract, 250g of milk, 5 g of gelatin and an appropriate volume of milk flavor.

Example 12 Sports Drinks

Sports drink was prepared from 0.075% of RA-B Crystals, 0.11% of calciumlactate, 0.045% of citric acid, 0.03% of trisodium citrate, 0.015% ofmagnesium chloride, 0.0055% of glutamic acid and 99.72% of water.

Example 13 Carbonate Drinks

Carbonate drink was prepared by adding 0.012% of RA-B Crystals, 8.4% offructose, 0.6% of citric acid, 0.12% of arginine, 0.1% of inositol,0.0025% of caffeine, 0.0034% of calcium pantothenate, 0.003% of niacinamide, 0.002% of vitamin B6, 0.00009% of vitamin B2, 0.000002% ofvitamin B12, and appropriate volumes of spices and water to adjust 100%of whole ingredients, and then introducing carbon dioxide gas.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

By HPLC analysis of the novel Steviol Glycosides provided by the presentinvention, it is possible to manufacture sweeteners and other foodstuffwith a certain sweetness degree and quality, and delicate taste. Also itenables to presume the raw material varieties, and the invention ishelpful to judge the correctness of indication of origin, cultivationarea of the Stevia varieties, or infringement of right.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for the extract RA-C.

FIG. 2 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for Crystals RA-A.

FIG. 3 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for Crystals RA-B.

FIG. 4 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for Crystals RA-C.

FIG. 5 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for the extract RA-A.

FIG. 6 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for the extract RA-B.

FIG. 7 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for the extract RA-C.

FIG. 8 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for the extract ST.

FIG. 9 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for Crystals ST-ST.

FIG. 10 It shows the HPLC Analysis Chart for Crystals ST-RA.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing of a sweetenercomprising Steviol glycoside VIII (Rebaudioside M) of the formula:

wherein R₁ and R₂ represent sugar chains defined in the following table;No. R₁ R₂ VIII

the method comprising: purifying the Steviol glycoside VIII such thatthe Steviol glycoside VIII is separated from Rebaudioside A andformulating the sweetener with the Steviol glycoside VIII; wherein thesweetener comprises a larger amount of the Steviol glycoside VIII thanany other Steviol glycoside.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theSteviol glycoside VIII is purified from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. 3.The method of claim 1, further comprising crystalizing an extractobtained from the purifying step.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thepurifying comprises use of a column.
 5. The method of claim 4, furthercomprising crystalizing an extract obtained from the purifying step. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein the crystals comprise a larger amount ofthe Steviol glycoside VIII than Rebaudioside A.
 7. The method of claim5, wherein the crystals comprise a larger amount of the Steviolglycoside VIII than any other Steviol glycoside.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein the purifying comprises adsorbing the Steviol glycoside VIIIto an adsorbant resin and eluting the Steviol glycoside VIII from theadsorbant resin to produce an extract.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising crystalizing the extract obtained from the purifying step.10. The method of claim 8, wherein the extract comprises a larger amountof the Steviol glycoside VIII than any other Steviol glycoside.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, wherein an extract obtained from the purifying stepcomprises a larger amount of the Steviol glycoside VIII thanRebaudioside A.
 12. A method of preparing a food product, the methodcomprising manufacturing the sweetener according to the method of claim1, and mixing the sweetener and a food to form the food product.
 13. Amethod of preparing a food product, the method comprising manufacturingthe sweetener according to the method of claim 4, and mixing thesweetener and a food to form the food product.
 14. A method of preparinga food product, the method comprising manufacturing the sweeteneraccording to the method of claim 5, and mixing the sweetener and a foodto form the food product.
 15. A method of extracting Steviol glycosideVIII (Rebaudioside M) from a solution of Steviol glycoside VIII andwater or a solvent containing water, comprising extracting the solutionwith water or a solvent containing water to form an extract comprisingthe Steviol glycoside VIII, wherein the extract comprises a higherconcentration of Steviol glycoside VIII than the solution, and theextract comprises a larger amount of the Steviol glycoside VIII than anyother Steviol glycoside wherein the Steviol glycoside VIII has theformula:

wherein R₁ and R₂ represent sugar chains defined in the following tableNo. R₁ R₂ VIII


16. The method of claim 15, wherein the extract comprises a lowerconcentration of Rebaudioside A compared to the Rebaudioside Aconcentration in the solution.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein theextracting comprises use of a column.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein the extracting comprises use of a column.
 19. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the extracting comprises use of a resin adsorbingSteviol glycosides.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the purifyingcomprises purifying the Steviol glycoside VIII from a Stevia rebaudianaBertoni variety which contains more Rebaudioside A content thanStevioside.
 21. The method of claim 15, wherein the solution is obtainedfrom a Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni variety which contains moreRebaudioside A content than Stevioside.